Stands Out

Weller Special Reserve

/ / Bourbon, Review / ,

W.L. Weller Special Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Aged 7 Years
45% ABV/90 Proof
$10 – $20
Website
Weller Special Reserve 7 Yr
What the Distillery Says:
The Original “Wheated” Bourbon Whiskey
Replacing the rye grain in our recipe with wheat provides for an exceptionally smooth taste. And at 7 years of age and “Kentucky proof”– 90 proof, W. L. Weller is a truly outstanding buy.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Weller always comes across with honeysuckle sweetness, crisp apples, and black peppercorns.
Palate: Bourbony? 🙂 It’s not very sweet but it’s nicely balanced with oak, caramel, vanilla, and a peppery spice at the end of the palate that runs into the finish.
Finish: Crisp and a little spicy. The spice hangs around through the end of the finish.
Comments: Confession time, I’ve had a really hard time coming up with review notes for this one. It’s not that Weller Special Reserve isn’t distinctive. Rather, I use this specific bourbon in a lot of the cooking I do. As a result, most of the notes I originally came up with are reminiscent of my bourbon meatballs, pecan pie, or bourbon cream cheese frosted red velvet cake. I use is so much because it’s a mellow and pleasing bourbon that works well with food. Think about this alternative the next time you’re in the store and you’re reaching for a bottle of Maker’s Mark. Plus, if you look hard enough you may find it for almost half the price. 😉
Rating: Stands Out, Great Value

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Jefferson’s 10 Year Rye

/ / Review, Rye Whiskey /

Jefferson’s Straight Rye Whiskey Aged 10 Years
47% ABV/94 Proof
$35 to $40
Website

What the Distillery Says:
Jefferson’s Straight Rye Whiskey is the latest addition to the Jefferson’s Presidential Collection. Bottled at 94 proof, this 10-year-old whiskey offers a perfect combination of age, purity and strength. Distilled from 100% North American rye, it is rich, spicy and exceptionally smooth. A true classic.

Nose: Bright compelling, fruity/bakery aromas of baked banana bread, baked pears and apple cobbler make for delightful early-on sniffing; further air contact time of seven minutes encourages the ripe fruit aspect to deepen as gentle spice notes, especially pepper and allspice, round out an exceptional bouquet experience.

Taste: Moderately oily, delicately spiced and even a touch honeyed; midpalate features the spice element in spades, making for zesty, tangy sipping.

Finish: Aftertaste focuses squarely on the fruit component again along with the last minute hit of rye bread.

What Richard Says:
Nose: The nose is very rich and creamy to me. I get very herbaceous notes and candied nuts.
Palate: This one is very sweet. It’s much sweeter than I would expect from a rye. Vanilla, caramel, and spearmint come through.
Finish: It reminds me of Ben & Jerry’s Coffee Heath Bar Ice Cream served on a barrel stave.
Comments: Many parallels have been drawn between this expression and WhistlePig which goes for almost twice the price. I haven’t tried the other but for $35 this is a nice aged rye. Easy to sip and easy to mix. What more can you really ask for?
Rating: Stands Out

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Michter’s Single Barrel Rye

/ / Review, Rye Whiskey /

Michter’s US*1 Single Barrel Straight Rye Whiskey
Barrel No. H135-62
42.4% ABV/84.8 Proof
$35 to $40
Website

What the Distillery Says:

Renowned for rye, America’s first whiskey, since our founding in 1753, we take production of every barrel of Michter’s Rye very seriously. Our US*1 Rye is made from select American rye grain that is sheared to enable the saturation of more flavor during fermentation. It is then aged in a heated warehouse. This premium rye has hints of light spice, black pepper, marmalade and plum, spicy grain and light caramel.

Production: Single barrel. Limited quantities.
Bottling Strength: 84.8 Proof (42.4% Alcohol by Volume)
Cooperage: Fire-charred, new American white oak barrels.

What Richard Says:
Nose: This is very sweet on the nose. I get burnt caramel, vanilla latte, and a peach & plum fruitiness.
Palate: This one is fun to roll around in the mouth. Surprisingly creamy for a young-ish rye. Sweet and spicy. Caramel and white pepper.
Finish: Oak and pepper. It’s a little hot on the finish. Surprisingly so given how smooth the palate is.
Comments: The folks at Chatham sent over their entry level trio. Of the three this is by far my favorite. It’s tasty, easy to drink, and makes a mean cocktail. My only real complaint is the price point. That’s really a general complaint for the entry range. This is a solid rye but there are others in the sub-$30 range that give you just as much with more bang for you buck.
Rating: Stands Out

I would like to thank Emily with Chatham Imports for sending over a bottle for review.

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Bushmills Black Bush Special Old Irish Whiskey

/ / Irish Whiskey, Review /

Bushmills Black Bush Special Old Irish Whiskey
43% ABV/86 Proof
$35 to $40
Website

What the Distillery Says:
With an intriguing flavor and a name to match, this is our special blend. It combines a uniquely high proportion of malt whiskey matured in former Oloroso Sherry casks with a sweet, batch-distilled grain whiskey. This unique recipe gives Black Bush its rich fruity notes and deep intense character, balanced by a unique smoothness.

Nose: Big, full, rich fruitcake aroma, intense Sherry sweetness developing into dried fruit/raisen/Christmas cake notes
Palate: Soft, silky texture with a nutty character
Finish: Lingering sweetness. Remarkable balance between the poier from Sherry-seasoned casks and the smoothness of the spirit.

What Richard Says:
Nose: The nose is very rich. It reminds me of sherry drizzled warm apple pie.
Palate: It’s more delicate and viscous than I would’ve expected. It’s also a little nutty too.
Finish: This is my least favorite part. It’s a little like licking an empty sherry barrel.
Comments: In my lowly personal opinion this is probably the best value in the Bushmills range. At around $35 it swings well above classic Bushmills and the 10 year old single malt version.
Rating: Stands Out

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Bushmills Single Malt Irish Whiskey Aged 10 Years

/ / Irish Whiskey, Review / ,

Bushmills 10 Year
Single Malt Irish Whiskey

Matured in Two Woods

40% ABV/80 Proof
$40 to $50
Website

What the Distillery Says:
Triple distilled from 100% malted barely and matured for a minimum of 10 years mainly in Bourbon-seasoned barrels, it has aromas of honey, vanilla and milk chocolate.

Nose: Fresh and zesty. Honey, ripe fruit.
Palate: Soft. Vanilla, milk chocolate and toasted wood.
Finish: Crisp and clean, gentle drying.

What Richard Says

Nose: This one is light and floral. There is also an odd mix of grass and cocoa. It’s a little like splashing Hershey’s cocoa powder on your face while cutting the lawn.
Palate: It’s kind of light and spicy with a backing sherry note. There is also something that tastes slightly burnt.
Finish: Delicate, smooth, and slightly creamy with a little oak at the end.
Comments: This is one of those whiskeys where I think it’s me not them. I know Bushmills didn’t change. I changed. I used to like this one a lot more than I do now. It’s not bad. It’s easily drinkable and not terribly expensive if you can find it around $40. I’ve just come to expect a little more from my whiskey than this one brings to table.

Rating: Average

 

What Gary Says

Nose:  Subtle, floral with honey suckle, milk chocolate, a hint of apples.
Palate:  Subtle sweet with malt, honey, vanilla, a hint of fruit.
Finish:  Moderate in length, damp with honey and vanilla.
Comments:  A very gentle and delicate single malt. Nothing objectionable, but nothing that has me wanting to pour another. I’ll bet I’d like this a lot more at a higher ABV, but wishes and nuts as they say.

Rating: Average/Stands Out

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